Dr. Elba Garcia embodies a new breed of professional women in the 21st century. She is not only a community leader, but is also a mother and wife, a dentist with her own private practice, and a role model for Latino women from all walks of life. Dr. Garcia is a former Dallas City Council Member and the current Dallas County Commissioner for District 4.

Born and educated in Mexico City, Dr. Garcia earned her Doctorate in Odontology from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in 1984. She later immigrated to the United States, where she had to recertify her Degree at Baylor College of Dentistry, earning her second Doctorate in Dental Surgery (DDS) in 1990. She is a small business owner, having run her own private practice since 1998. Dr. Garcia also served as an assistant professor at the Baylor College of Dentistry. She is married and has two sons.

Dr. Garcia has always dedicated herself to community service and began her service in public office in 2001 when she was elected to the Dallas City Council to represent the residents of District 1. While serving on the Dallas City Council, Dr. Garcia was instrumental in steering a number of important public projects to completion, including securing critical funds for the Latino Cultural Center and spearheading the development of a new Animal Shelter and the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. Additionally, she worked with the Environmental Committee to institute LEED standards for City of Dallas buildings. When she was chosen unanimously by her colleagues to serve as Deputy Mayor Pro Tem and Mayor Pro Tem, she was the first Latina to serve in those positions.

Dr. Garcia was elected to serve as Dallas County Commissioner by the citizens of District 4 in November 2010, becoming the first Latina ever to serve on the Dallas County Commissioners Court. During this first term in office, Commissioner Garcia has focused on making county government more transparent, saving millions in tax dollars by fixing Dallas County’s bail bond system, pushing for the completion of the long-delayed Hunter-Ferrell Road project in Irving and Grand Prairie, building and extending trails in District 4, championing initiatives like the District Attorney’s new Animal Cruelty Unit, and educating constituents about Dallas County services.

Commissioner Garcia is the Chair of Dallas County Criminal Justice Advisory Board and the DWI Task Force. She is also a board member of North Texas Behavioral Health Authority (NTBHA), Public Employee Benefits Cooperative (PEBC), Prostitute Diversion Initiative (PDI) and an alternate for the Regional Transportation Committee. In her role as Dallas County Commissioner, Dr. Garcia also appoints community members to various Dallas County Boards, including the Parkland Board of Managers, the Dallas County Trail and Preserve Program Board, the Citizen Election Advisory Committee, the Sixth Floor Museum, as well as several other boards and commissions.

In addition to her service to constituents, Dr. Garcia bears a myriad of other public service responsibilities. She currently sits on the boards of the Dallas Convention Visitors Bureau, Dallas Zoological Society, and is an Advisory Board member of New Friends New Life and the Methodist Dallas Medical Center.